Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

Other names/Nicknames:

Country/Date of origin:

Height:

Weight:

Females: 30 to 35 pounds

Males: 35 to 40 pounds

Personality:

Sweet-natured and affectionate.

Gets along well with other pets.

Wants to please and is, consequently, easy to train.

History:

An all-purpose, farm dog bred in the south of Ireland, the Soft Coated Wheaten was kept down-on-the-farm for centuries. Its prowess was a well kept secret. Wheatens can herd cattle and sheep, retrieve game, guard home and garden, and single-handily eliminate vermin on a property. It has been recognized as a pure bred dog in Ireland since 1937, but didn’t gain acceptance to the American Kennel Club (AKC) until 1973.

Body Type:

Very similar in appearance to the Kerry Blue Terrier, which comes from the southern part of Ireland as well.

Wheatens are somewhat shorter and lighter than the Kerry.

Button ears are not altered.

Tail is docked short.

Coat:

Wheaten-colored coat is the hallmark of the breed.

The soft hair is slightly wavy. Without frequent combing it will mat.

Coat does not shed.

Health and Wellness:

Generally healthy.

Protein-losing enteropathy.

Protein-losing nephropathy.

Mitral insufficiency.

What you should know:

There are no hyphens in the breed name—they were eliminated by a vote of the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Club.

Not prone to the dogfighting that other terriers seem to revel in.

Puppies have a red cast to the coat with black face markings. They will fade to the adult coloration by the time they reach their second birthday.